Everyone takes a bad photo now and again, even the professionals. If they didn't you can be sure they wouldn't need to own any expensive photo manipulation software like Photoshop. Whenever I had to fix a photo (mine or someone else's). I had enjoyed the power that Photoshop gave when doing the manipulations. Be forewarned, though. With any photo manipulation software make sure you either back up the original or at least make a copy of the layer and leave the original layer intact.Having said all this, if you have ever purchased Photoshop before, you are quite aware that this is one rather expensive photo manipulation software. At a hefty $700 you are paying for a great product. But unless you're a graphic designer or professional photographer, it may be overkill. I personally do not know how to use all the features of the software. One nice thing about initially buying the software is that future upgrades are $200. That's still hefty but much better than having to shell out the full $700.There are a couple of alternatives that can often get the job done and won't break the bank (in fact one of them is free). If you are looking to get many of the features of Photoshop at a fraction of the cost, I would consider (and now own it), Serif's PhotoPlus X3. It has the same kind of look and feel as Photoshop, although the functionality is very different. It can enlarge photos and without losing resolution. It can read and write Photoshop PSD files. And it even includes an animation feature which Photoshop decided to remove in its most recent versions of Photoshop (I was really upset with that).Finally, there is Gimp from Gimp.org. This is an Open Source program (which means you get it free of charge) and it was meant to directly compete with Photoshop. One caveat to be aware of: the look, feel, and functionality are quite different than Photoshop so if you are coming from Photoshop there is a learning curve. But again, it's free software.I used to jump right to Photoshop to fix or add effects to my photos. Now, I am more inclined to use PhotoPlus X3 instead. It really satisfies all my manipulation needs and it is a heck of a lot cheaper (even the upgrades are less than $50).James has been writing online for almost 1 year.Please note: I have removed the link that was here due to the FTC's new and sketchy guidelines about what constitutes an endorsement. I apologize if you are reading this and it left you a bit puzzled. But there are too many unknowns in these new guidelines to take a chance.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/James_Cochrane/3315

It is quite imaginable now that photo manipulation (PM) has become an 'art form' for some graphic artists. PM means applying certain methods of editing images to create an illusion or difference in the photograph. The viewers of the photograph are seemingly deceived after it has been changed using photo manipulation (PM). PM is widely used in the fields of print media and advertisements today. The concept has been in use since a long time, with the Russians having employed it for political issues. PM is basically made possible by the use of digital or analog technology. There are many ways in which photo manipulation can be performed in order to give a new lease of life to a photograph.Though a professional photographer is no longer the only option today, yet, the snaps taken by home cameras and digital cams sometimes need to be brushed up to look perfect. Photographs are the best memories one can possibly have and it becomes important at times, to edit few of them so that they stand testimony to all the moments. Photo manipulation is possible with the aid of a number of methods or software programs. These programs are ideal for image editing and resizing. Easy to use and effective, the photo manipulation programs could never have been born in a better time.The most in use and worthwhile photo edition or manipulation software available today are Adobe Photoshop, Faststone photo resize and image resizing Powertoy. Photo manipulation covers any kind of change done to the photograph like red eye removal, image background alteration, change of tones or anything else that seems worth changing. Photoshop is such popular software that the term Photoshopping has become a verb in the true sense of the term. This creation from adobe can create wonders with any image on earth. The most reputed journalists and photographers are said to be the slaves of Photoshop. The photographs can be edited in a way that is unthinkable. A large number of tools and effects come together to bring about the photo manipulation.The image resizing Powertoy program is another popular choice amongst photo manipulation techniques. This is similar to Photoshop but has less number of tools for effects. The basic manipulation tools like tone, color, background change are available. There are options to crop or flip images as per the users' choice. The background templates on offer give ample creative ideas to interest image editors. The software has achieved popular success within a short span of time. It is available over the net at no additional cost for use. This photo manipulation tool is a highly useful one.The Faststone photo resize software is mostly used for photo manipulation by budding photographers who are not yet very well versed with the techniques. The software has very basic tools for image resizing and editing. If all that one need is to give final finishing touches to a friend or family group photograph, this software could be the best bet. This too is available online at no cost. The program is not as wide ranging as Photoshop but is a great boon to non professionals.